Review of Drunken Angel (1948) by A.j. S — 23 May 2010

Minimalist filmmaking with a shining visual flare, Kurosawaâ??s apparent turning point is a dark comedy that lets the audience in on the fun while making them think. The leads portraying a comedic doctor-patient relationship provide many dynamic, and thus enjoyable, dialogues that drive the films tone without falling into farcical territory.

Their relationship is the foundation for which the filmâ??s heart is built on. Shimura is loveable in his drunken and elderly ramblings as Toshiro Mifune (in his first collaboration of many with Kurosawa) is brilliant by remaining desperately relatable due to his inauspicious alcoholism.

Of course, these charactersâ?? drinking habits are the only thing they have in common, which aid to the comedic aspects of the film but do not detract from the sociological and philosophical questions the director wishes to pose.

Everything falls dutifully and effortlessly into place within the story, being aided by Kurosawaâ??s heavily practiced visual aesthetic seen here in his stripped down and fully realized vision.